Albert markgraf and henry boemermann



iNVENTORS:

4 m ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 3, 1899. A. MARKGBAF &. H. BOEMERMAN N.

GAME COUNTER.

(Applicntion filed Apr.

(No Model.)

3 imp Fig? 1. am

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT MARKGRAF AND HENRY BOEMERMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,174, dated January 3, 1899.

Application filed April 21, 1898. Serial No. 678,328. (No model.)

To (056 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALBERT MARKGRAF and HENRY BOEMERMANN, citizens of the United States, and residents of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to indicators and markers used in playing games; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple device to be set up in view of players at cards to indicate the trump of the hand being played, the number of the player who has the deal, and-the number of rounds to be played, as agreed upon, or the number of games.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front or face view of the indicator, and Fig. 2 is a vertical mid-section of the same. Fig. shows the roller of the rounds-indicator detached. Fig. 4 illustrates a slightly different construction of the dial and hand.

The indicator consists of a dial-head A, a base 13, which rests on the table, and an up right connecting-stem O. The structure may be of any suitable material; but, as here shown, it is supposed to be in the main of wood with a metal base or foot.

The dial-head, of circular form, has a recessed face covered with glass at and has a sheet-metal rim a, which may be plated and polished to present an ornamental appearance and impart a finish. n the face of the dial-head is fixed a dial a, of paper by preference, marked as follows: The dial is quartered, (see Fig. 1,) each quadrant representing a card-suit, as clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. In each quadrant is marked conspicuously the insignia d of the suit in the proper color (red or black) and preferably of exactly the size and contour found on the common playing-card in order that the player may recognize the suit pertaining to that quad rant at a glance. About the curved margin of each quadrant are marked characters a (letters and numerals) designating the size of the cards of a suit, as A for ace, K for king, Q for queen, J for jack, By preference the characfor ion-spot, rho.

ters Q will be printed in the color (black or red) of the suit to which they belong. In the center of the dial a is rotatively mounted an arbor g, Fig. 2, to which is fixed a hand it, adapted to traverse the dial when the arbor is rotated, and back of the dial-head a button e' or similar device is fixed on the projecting end of the arbor g for convenience of rotating it for setting the hand It. Above the dial on the head A is an inscription-plate a which has marked on it the words Trump is or words of like import to call attention to the significance of the position of the hand on the dial.

After trump is turned by the dealer one of the players sets the hand It by means of the buttont' to indicate the trumpas, for example, if the king of spades is the trump turned he sets the hand to K in the spadequadrant on the dial, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the hand h remains so throughout the playing of that hand of cards, so that any player may see at a glance what the trump is. The characteristic of this arrangement is that a single hand, as h, indicates at once two things namely, the suit and size of the trump, as each quadrant contains characters e which represent all the sizes in a suit.

The players are usually numbered, and in some games the number is considerable. The

deal passes in succession. To avoid any dispute as to who the dealer is at any time and who should succeed him, a movable indicator is mounted in the upright or stem 0. This deal-indicator consists of an endless ribbon amounted on two rollers o and 0 One of these rollers has fixed on its projecting journal a suitable operating-button 0 so that by rotating the roller the ribbon may be caused to travel. On the ribbon are marked in succession a series of numerals o. The number of numerals in the series is not important so long as it equals the highest number of players. The number at the top is that of the dealer of the hand being played. After the hand is played one of the players shifts the ribbon, so as to bring the next succeeding numeral to the top. The numerals appear at a slot 0 in the front plate 7;.

At the bottom of the upright c is situated the indicator for the number of rounds to be played. This "rounds-indicator, as here shown, consists of a roller b, having a series of numerals b marked on in succession in a spiral form, as seen in Fi 3, so that only one of them will appear at a time at the slot j in the front plate 70. This roller 1) has on its projecting journal a suitable operating-button L This indicator may obviously be used to show the number of games to be played at the sitting or to count the number of games that have been played.

Fig. 4 illustrates a slight modification in which the dial-card (t is fixed to the arbor g and rotates with it, and the hand or index 7L is fixed. In Fig. 4 the device indicates that the jack of spades is trumps.

It will be obvious that a strict adherence to the details of construction and arrangement shown in the drawings is not essential to the invention. Some minor changes may be made without in any way departing from the invention. For example, the button -i might be at the front instead of at the back and the glass a be omitted; but the glass protects the dial from dirt and dust.

It will be understood that while we have shown the trump-indicator constructed in the preferred form it is within this invention to provide any dial having marked on it the suit and size in proper characters and any form of index or pointer to designate a particular suit and size on the dial, one of these parts being of course movable over the other.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. An indicator for card-games having a dial-head, a base and an upright stem, and having on its head a dial a marked as described with the suit and size arranged in quadrants, and a hand or index, the said dial and hand, one of said parts being movable with reference to the other, whereby the suit and size of the trump may be indicated, substantially as set forth.

2. In an indicator for card-games, the combination with a support therefor, of a trumpindicator consisting of a dial a divided into quadrants for the four suits, each quadrant having marked conspicuously on it the insignia of the suit and about its curved border characters to designate all the sizes of the suit, and a single movable hand which traverses said dial, substantially as set forth.

3. In an indicator for card-games, the combination with the dial-head A, and the trumpindicator carried thereon, of the base, the stem C, and the deal-indicator in the said stem, the latter consisting of the rollers c and c and the endless ribbon 0, having on it a series of numerals 0 substantially as set forth.

4. In an indicator for card-games, the combination with the dial-head, the base, the up right connecting-stem, the trump-indicator on the dial-head, and the deal-indicator in the stem, of the rounds-indicator in the stem, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the base and upright stem, of a dial-head A mounted on said stem, the dial amounted in a recess in the face of said head, the glass a over said recess, the inscription-plate a, bearing the inscription Trump is, the arbor g and its operat ing-button, and the hand /t, carried by said arbor and adapted to traverse the dial c said dial being divided into quadrants and each quadrant being marked with the insignia of a suit and with characters indicating size, substantially as set forth.

6. In a trump-indicator for a card-game, the combination with a dial having the suit and size marked on it in suitable characters arranged in a circle, and a single index to designate the suit and size of the trump turned, said parts being concentric and one movable rotatively with respect to the other.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names, this 19th day of April, 1898, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT MARKGRAF. HENRY BOEMERMANN.

lVitnesses HENRY Coxxn'r'r, PETER A. Ross. 

